Radu Miruță announces measures to unblock grain transport to the Port of Constanța

The Transport Ministry will issue an order under which grain deliveries to the Port of Constanța will be scheduled according to the ships scheduled to arrive for loading, interim minister Radu Miruță announced on Tuesday. The measure aims to reduce bottlenecks in marshalling yards and parking areas and accelerate exports of Romanian grain.

The Port of Constanța will have to provide advance information on scheduled ships, their capacity and the loading period. Rail and road transport operators will have several days to plan the shipments associated with each vessel.

According to the minister, scheduling across the entire supply chain should prevent queues of grain-loaded trains and trucks from forming and being used as mobile storage facilities. The new rules should also eliminate situations in which certain shipments are informally given priority during loading.

The plan also includes reducing the time needed to issue port clearances, improving coordination between the port, operators, carriers and producers, as well as a more effective mechanism for sanctioning those who fail to comply with the rules.

Radu Miruță maintains that the bottlenecks are not caused by a lack of rail capacity, but by coordination deficiencies. The measures were established following discussions with Agriculture Minister Tanczos Barna, representatives of farmers, rail companies and the Port of Constanța.